Delaware State University Explained

Delaware State University
Image Upright:0.8
Motto:"Enter to Learn, Go Forth and Serve"
Endowment:$43 million (2021)[1]
Faculty:600
Students:6,451[2]
Country:United States
Campus:Small city[3]
Colors:Blue and cherry red[4]
 
Free Label:Other campuses
Free Label2:Newspaper
Free2:The Hornet
Mascot:Too Fly

Delaware State University (DSU or Del State) is a privately governed, state-assisted historically black land-grant research university in Dover, Delaware. DSU also has two satellite campuses: one in Wilmington and one in Georgetown. The university encompasses four colleges and a diverse population of undergraduate and advanced-degree students. Delaware State University is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[5]

History

19th century

The Delaware College for Colored Students was established on May 15, 1891, by the Delaware General Assembly.[6] The name was changed to the State College for Colored Students by state legislative action in 1893 to eliminate confusion with Delaware College, which was attended by whites in Newark, Delaware.[7] It first awarded degrees in 1898.

20th century

In 1945, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education awarded the college provisional accreditation. Three years later, the institution became Delaware State College by legislative action. Although its accreditation was revoked in 1949, it was regained in 1957.

On July 1, 1993, the institution changed its name yet again, this time to Delaware State University.[8] Delaware State University is one of the first historically black colleges and universities to have a no-smoking policy.

21st century

In 2015, the university began phasing out smoking on campus by restricting it to four designated areas and providing educational resources on smoking cessation tools and programs. In August 2015 it implemented a completely tobacco-free policy.

In 2017, the university received the ACAS Health Leadership Award in recognition of its efforts. The award was jointly presented by the Public Health Service Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health, the Truth Initiative, Arizonans Concerned About Smoking and the Arizona NAACP.[9]

In December 2020, MacKenzie Scott donated $20 million to Delaware State University. Her donation is the largest single gift in the university's history.[10]

On July 1, 2021, Delaware State University officially finalized its acquisition of Wesley College, a 157-year-old private institution founded by the Methodist Church in 1873.[11] This acquisition makes Delaware State the first historically Black university to acquire an institution that is not a historically Black college or university.[12]

The university has renamed the former Wesley campus "DSU Downtown", reflecting its close proximity to downtown Dover, Delaware, and has relocated most of its College of Health and Behavioral Science (Public and Allied Health, Psychology, and Social Work programs on that additional 41-acre site. That academic division has been renamed the Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences as a way to preserve the history of the former Wesley College.[13]

Campus

The 400acres main campus in Dover, the capital of Delaware, is approximately a two-hour drive from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., and three hours from New York City. There university's has two satellite campuses located in Wilmington and Georgetown.

The main campus in Dover contains thirty buildings, including:

On the main campus there are five main campus traditional residential halls and three apartment-style residence halls for upperclassmen on campus. Off-campus there is an apartment complex and an residential hall. In addition, the university has activated two residential halls at DSU Downtown (the former Wesley College campus). The residential facilities include:

Two dining halls serve the more than 1,500 on-campus students.

As a part of the Internet2 initiative, the university maintains several research computer laboratories including a high-performance computational cluster in its DESAC center. Almost every building has a computer lab and each student has a dedicated data port for internet access, their own phone, a campus email address, and cable television access in all residence hall rooms. Most campus buildings also offer wireless connectivity.

DSU is one of 148 schools in the country to receive Tree Campus USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation.[14] The university owns two farms near Kenton and Smyrna, and has an Airway Science Program based at Delaware Air Park in Cheswold.[15]

Administration

Presidents! Name !! Term !! Notes
Wesley P. Webb 1891–1895
William C. Jason1895–1923
Richard S. Grossley 1923–1942
Howard D. Gregg 1942–1949
Maurice E. Thomasson 1949-1950,
1951-1952
(Acting president,
twice)
Oscar J. Chapman 1950–1951
1953–1960
Luna I. Mishoe 1960–1987
William B. DeLauder 1987–2003
Allen Sessoms2003–2008
Claibourne D. Smith2008-2010(Acting president)
Harry L. Williams2010–2017
Wilma MishoeJanuary 1, 2018–June 30, 2018
July 1, 2018–Dec. 2019
(Acting president)
(Permanent president)
Tony AllenFeb. 2020–present
Tony Allen became the 12th president of Delaware State University on January 1, 2020, after serving the previous two and a half years as the university's provost and executive vice president. Three months into his presidency, Allen ended in-person classes and residential operations on campus following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the faculty began offering curriculum online. The university raised $1.5 million for a Student Emergency Relief Fund to address student needs brought on by COVID-19 crisis. Although the COVID-19 crisis continued throughout the year, Allen and the university reopened its residential halls for the fall semester 2020, allowing more than 1,700 students to resume their residency on campus while almost all classes continued to be held virtually.[16] [17] [18]

The business and affairs of the university are governed by the board of trustees. The board of trustees has all the powers accorded it by Title 14, Chapter 65 of the Delaware Code.[19] The board consists of 15 members whose appointment or election is provided for in the Delaware Code and the governor of the state and the president of the university who are ex officio members with voting rights.[20]

Academics

The university consists of four colleges:[21]

DSU offers 46 undergraduate degrees, 21 graduate degrees, and six doctoral degrees (interdisciplinary applied mathematics and mathematical physics, applied chemistry, neuroscience and optics, integrative agriculture, food & environment, and educational leadership).[22] The university also offers several cooperative and dual degree programs.[23] Students receive instruction in classes with a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio. About 80 percent of first-year undergraduates receive need-based financial aid.[24] It has a traditional Honors Program and a Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Honors Program to increase the number of students in science interested in pursuing biomedical research and obtaining doctor of philosophy degrees in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, and biopsychology.

In addition to satisfying the requirements for the major or majors and any minor, all undergraduates are required to complete the General Education Program, which includes: seven core courses, twelve foundation courses (across the curriculum), and the Senior Capstone Experience.

Accreditations include the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the Accreditation Council for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA), the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CCDE).[25] [26] The university's College of Business is accredited nationally and internationally by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).[27]

Aviation program

DSU's Aviation Program provides students with education and experience in preparation for careers in the aviation industry. Curricula in the program lead to a B.Sc. degree with concentrations in Aviation Management or Professional Pilot. Professional Pilot graduates will complete their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements for Private Pilot, Instrument, Commercial, Multi-Engine and Certified Flight Instructor ratings while earning their bachelor's degree.[28]

Delaware State operates the only full-service, university-based flight school in the mid-Atlantic area. The Aviation program is approved by the State of Delaware Education Department for Veterans Flight Training.[29] [30]

Research

The institution has greatly increased its research endeavors over the past several years, as it has developed the research infrastructure needed to attract federal grants for projects in the following DSU Research Centers and in the sciences and mathematics:

Rankings

Usnwr Nu:263
Wamo Nu:342

DSU is ranked 8th among the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the U.S. News & World Report (2023).[32]

In 2018, the College of Business at DSU was named to the Princeton Review's Best Business Schools for the tenth consecutive year (2009-2018).[33]

Global connections

The university has over thirty formal international partnerships with institutions in countries including China, Cuba, Egypt, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland and the UK which facilitate research and conference collaborations as well as student exchanges.[34]

Student activities

Athletics

See main article: Delaware State Hornets.

See also: Delaware State Hornets men's basketball and Delaware State Hornets football. DSU athletic programs participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA)'s Division I (FCS for football). The Hornets compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference as full members since the conference was founded in 1970.

The university's Department of Intramural Sports provides a wide variety of quality recreational programs for students, faculty and staff.

Student organizations

Delaware State has over 60 student organizations on campus including a Student Government Association (SGA), gospel choir, and The Approaching Storm Marching Band.[35] [36]

Further reading

External links

39.1861°N -75.5426°W

Notes and References

  1. Delaware State University: Portfolio Review, Goldman Sachs Institutional Client Solutions, December 21, 2021, University Advancement archives
  2. Web site: Delaware State University enrollment continues to soar. Daily State News. 2023. November 22, 2023.
  3. Web site: IPEDS-Delaware State University.
  4. Web site: Delaware State University Colors.
  5. Web site: Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup . Center for Postsecondary Education . carnegieclassifications.iu.edu . September 12, 2020.
  6. Web site: Chapter 119. https://web.archive.org/web/20160315063111/http://delcode.delaware.gov/sessionlaws/volume19/chp119.shtml. March 15, 2016.
  7. Web site: Chapter 635. https://web.archive.org/web/20161117024519/http://delcode.delaware.gov/sessionlaws/volume19/chp635.shtml. November 17, 2016.
  8. Web site: Delaware State University History . May 22, 2017 . Delaware State University . https://web.archive.org/web/20210303114020/https://www.desu.edu/about/history . March 3, 2021 . dead.
  9. News: DSU one of few smoke-free HBCUs. delawareonline. July 10, 2017. en.
  10. Web site: Del State receives historic $20MM donation from MacKenzie Scott . Delaware State University . December 15, 2020 . February 24, 2021.
  11. Delaware State News, July 2, 2021, edition, pages 1 and 8.
  12. Web site: Delaware State University will acquire Wesley College, a first for HBCUs. July 20, 2020. insidehighered.com. en.
  13. Web site: Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences . Delaware State University.
  14. Web site: Tree Campus USA Schools. Arbor Day Foundation. 2012. August 8, 2012.
  15. Web site: History. Delaware State University. 2009. August 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120911110610/http://www.desu.edu/history. September 11, 2012. dead.
  16. Web site: COVID-19, updates-7/7 Reopening plan. Delaware State University.
  17. Web site: Student Emergency Relief Fund\publisher=Delaware State University. April 7, 2020.
  18. Web site: The Presidents of Delaware State University and the Highlights of their Tenures. Delaware State University. 2009. August 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120607044031/http://www.desu.edu/presidential-tenure-highlights. June 7, 2012. dead.
  19. Web site: Chapter 65. Organization, Administration and Functions – Delaware State University. delcode.delaware.gov – the Online Delaware Code website. August 8, 2012.
  20. Web site: Board of Trustees. Delaware State University. 2009. August 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120202031531/http://www.desu.edu/board-trustees. February 2, 2012. dead.
  21. Web site: Provost/Academic Affairs . Delaware State University. February 12, 2014.
  22. Web site: About DSU. Delaware State University. 2009. August 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120121034437/http://www.desu.edu/about-dsu. January 21, 2012. dead.
  23. Web site: DTCC Dual Admission Program. Delaware State University. 2009. August 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120202024340/http://www.desu.edu/dtcc-dual-admission-program. February 2, 2012. dead.
  24. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/delaware-state-university-1428/paying#:~:text=Financial%20Aid%20Statistics%20for%20Delaware%20State%20University&text=The%20average%20need%2Dbased%20scholarship,financial%20aid%20in%20fall%202021.
  25. Web site: NCATE Institution Report Overview. Delaware State University. 2009. August 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121008162028/http://www.desu.edu/ncate-institution-report-overview. October 8, 2012. dead.
  26. Web site: Graduate Catalog - Accreditations and Institutional Memberships. Delaware State University. 2009. July 7, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121019110808/https://bnrwebprod.desu.edu/dsu/kiosk/docs/2008-2009_GR_Catalog.pdf. October 19, 2012. dead.
  27. Web site: Schools Accredited in Business. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. 2011. August 8, 2012. June 12, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612154735/https://www.aacsb.net/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=AACSB&WebKey=00E50DA9-8BB0-4A32-B7F7-0A92E98DF5C6. dead.
  28. Web site: The Aviation Program. Delaware State University. 2009 . August 8, 2012.
  29. Web site: The Professional Pilot Program. Delaware State University. 2009. August 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120202033306/http://www.desu.edu/professional-pilot. February 2, 2012. dead.
  30. Web site: Delaware Flight Schools – Delaware State University . Best Aviation. 2011. August 8, 2012.
  31. Web site: DSU Receives $5 million NASA research grant . Delaware State University . September 30, 2009 . September 19, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110917053730/http://www.desu.edu/dsu-receives-5-million-nasa-research-grant . September 17, 2011 . dead .
  32. Web site: Delaware State University Rankings. U.S. News & World Report . September 16, 2022.
  33. Web site: Delaware State University - College of Business. The Princeton Review and Random House. August 3, 2018.
  34. Web site: Faculty Research Abroad. Delaware State University. 2009. August 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120728065521/http://www.desu.edu/faculty-research-abroad. July 28, 2012. dead.
  35. Web site: Student Organizations . November 16, 2016 .
  36. Web site: Musical Groups . November 17, 2016 .